OOTE: Argyle and Lodden.

Day: Wednesday, January 15, 2014.

Where: Winesday at Whole Foods and El Paso Cafe for my brother's birthday.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) For such a pulled-together look, this was surprisingly comfy.  I felt like I could have easily worn it the whole day and not needed to change my shoes, tights, etc. 

The tights were necessary since it was so blasted cold that day (and has been since, barring the lovely weather we had on the 20th).  I purchased those tights from Boden last year and they are popular enough that Boden brought them back for fall 2013.  It can be difficult to find proper thick sweater tights here in the States.  A few places sell them, but they are very expensive.  Target sells sweater tights now, which I was pleased to see, but at $12, they are still relatively expensive for tights.  (And they got a run right away--in the upper leg, which I could fix with clear nail polish, but still!)

The shoes are the much beloved Leather loafers which I reviewed here.  Most worn pair of shoes in my closet, hands down.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  Some of my JCA friends will immediately recognize the look, which is why the post is titled Argyle and Lodden.  Both the dress and shirt were styled together in the J. Crew Paris Catalog (September 2007).  Obviously I couldn't wear it the way the lovely Vanessa Lorenzo did in the photo, but I could at least do half of the look.  :)

Not cool, btw, just pretty. 

If you are a fan of the shirt, and you sew, you can grab the fabric here at B&J fabrics (Liberty of London Lodden).  I won't be making anything else from the fabric (I was able to buy the blouse on ebay), but I could see the print looking very pretty in a full skirt.

Anecdote from the Day:  As per our usual, my brother and I went to Winesday that Wednesday.  We found out our favorite host (there are five stations) has the same birthday as my brother (along with Martin Luther King, Jr., of course). 

After that we enjoyed ourselves at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Paso Cafe.  And as we always do, everyone took a moment to wear a sombrero, including yours truly.

Alrighty, you all have a great night! 

OOTDs: Brown and Green.

I have so many photos of him doing exactly this while I am taking my outfit photos.  Expect more in the future now that he can walk!

Day: Thursday, March 21, 2013.

Where: Mommy/Rex Day, with visits to his doctor, a restaurant, and Costco.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I actually felt like the Blakeley Boots and coat were super comfortable.  BTW, I was asked which coat this was by a blog reader, and for those of you wondering as well, it is the Alabaster Tweed Coat made by J. Crew in 2008.  I love this fabric, very mid-century looking (reminds me of the couches from that time period) and very warm.  The shape is fab, too.  I don't know if this comes up on ebay often (I bought mine on ebay years ago), but if you see it, definitely grab it. 

The tights and dress (Bridget shirtdress--last worn a long time ago!) were okay, but I felt like the tights got stuck a bit on the skirt (since it isn't lined), so I had to add a slip (I own one, shhh). 

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Not cool, just preppy and presentable.  Which is fine by me, of course.

Anecdote from the day:  I decided to take Rex out of school that day so we could have a mommy/Rex day since he *rarely* gets alone time with just me anymore.  I think he had a good time, but he gets quieter when it is just the two of us on our own.  LOL.  I guess he feels that he doesn't have to compete with his brother and sister when it's just him, so he becomes really really chill.

He is a big boy, 55 pounds and nearly 4 feet tall.  I wasn't 55 pounds until I was 9.  Man, no wonder I can barely lift him anymore.  {{Tears.  My baby is growing up.}}

He told the doctor that he wants to be a welder when he grows up.  A welder.  Okay, then.  ;)

Day: Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

Where: I am pretty sure I went to Winesday in this get-up.  I am having a hard time remembering.  I blame my inability to remember on it being Saturday morning.  (Seems as good as any excuse.)

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) So easy to wear.  Even the coat (another J. Crew classic--the Highland Coat from 2005 or 2006) is a bit oversized so it is extremely comfortable.  The Boden tunic is also older, from way back when I started this blog.  Sadly Boden is not making many tunics like this anymore, but I have plenty from when they were making them to last me a really long time.  ;)

Cool Factor: (2 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The outfit looks far too eccentric to be cool.  The Matt Bernson booties are inherently cool, as is the Pashli satchel, but floral tunics, brown leggings, and a plaid coat do not equal cool.  Well at least not in my mind. 

Anecdote from the day:  If I did go to Winesday in this, it was the first Winesday my brother and I had gone to in a long time.  One week I wasn't able to go, the next week he had a doctor's appointment, and then the week after he was sick.  Three weeks away from my favorite activity was way too long.  He and I have decided we must never do that again.

Okay, that's all, folks.  :)  I hope you are having a great start to your weekend.  Happy Easter, too!

OOTDs: Bring on the Jacket. And the Eiffel Tower Earrings. And Rush.

Hi, Ladies!  (And Gents, if you all are out there!)

How has your weekend been?  It s really pretty here in VA, so we have been soaking up all the glorious weather by moving non-stop from one activity to another.  Pluses?  The activities are tremendous amount of fun, and hopefully the memories of these fab activities will linger in our kids' minds.  Minuses?  Well, our kids are young and weekend full of activities equals less sleep for the little ones, which means there is just a *tiny* bit of crabbiness from them.  ;)

Today I decided to get two outfits from the recent weeks done, and tie them together because both outfits feature a jacket as a major part of the outfit.

First up is the outfit from yesterday, one that features the J. Crew Lexington Jacket in ivory and citron from the Fall of 2007.  (Featured in this catalog image from September 2007.)

Started off the day in this whole ensemble, but by about 1 pm it was too hot, and sadly the Lexington had to be put away.  At least I was able to have a few hours with this beauty completing my look.

If you open the image, you can see the information on the individual pieces.  The shoes are the wonderful Lena wedges which I have worn many times already this summer, but just couldn't make it look 100% right with the outfits, since the wedges were too "statement-y" for the more delicate looks I wore them with...(outfit 1 here, outfit 2 here, and outfit 3 here).  I finally feel like I have hit the right note by wearing them with the capris. 

Since I had an Eiffel Tower on my tee, I knew the Eiffel Tower earrings had to be pulled out.  Not every fashion moment has to be subtle, right?  ;)

No jacket and posing with my "ooh, it's the Eiffel Tower, Momma" baby girl.

I have now worn these Pure Collection pants twice.  They are so freaking comfortable but still look like proper trousers.  I saw them in the summer sale for something like $30 and thought, "eh, why not?"  Glad I gave them a shot.

For those of you who want more info on Pure Collection, I plan on doing my reviews in the next day or two.  Tomorrow starts a big ten-day sale for them (they are approaching their tenth anniversary on October 10), so I figured it would be very appropriate to schedule my first Pure Collection reviews around then. Until then, if you want to take a look around, here is a link: Pure Collection - 25% Off.

Yesterday's activities included a Rex tee-ball game, a lunch out, a visit to a movie theater to see "Hotel Transylvania," and church (the Bishop was there and blessed Rex and Angus!).  I knew I had to have something that could go to all events, be nursing friendly, and layered for either heat or cold.

The above picture was taken right after I threw in the towel on the jacket (temps had gone up to near 80 with full sun).

The Jacket. The Eiffel Tower. by dinagideon featuring forever 21

Above is the polyvore of the outfit.

So I was going to just publish the outfit photos from yesterday but then I remembered it has been a full three weeks since I went to the Rush concert (yes, that Rush, not Big Time or Limbaugh, bite your tongue, people).  And since this outfit featured both a jacket and the Eiffel Tower Earrings, I figured I would just go with it.

I liked my makeup and hair that day, but was very disappointed in my eye bags.  SLEEP.  I need more SLEEP.  (Thanks, Angus.)  ;)

The jacket is from Target.  I had briefly considered getting one of these jackets from either J. Crew or Boden when they had them in their lines, but I am so glad I waited.  I think this one is $25?  And it is super comfy and soft, too, so I think I chose the best one for me.

Look at the size of that beer.  I have never had a 24 ounce beer in a can.  I felt classy.  Yeah.  Classy is the right word.  Ha.

There's my concert tee from the last time I went to a Rush concert.  I was willing to buy another concert tee, but this time the women's tees were all very unfortunate looking.  I know Rush is not a girl's kind of band, but come on, there is at least a handful of us that enjoy their music AND enjoy dressing up.

Look at Geddy, up there on stage.  I think he totally appreciated my tee and my beer. 

After the concert, parking lot.  Mr. Dina and I were walking to the car and I got catcalled at...lol.  I haven't been catcalled in YEARS, and the first time it happens to me is in front of my husband.

Okay, all, have a great night.  Are any of you able to wear and enjoy your blazers and jackets yet?

Paris: Day Five Outfit(s) of the Day. Eiffel Inspired. And Gilded.

When did I do the day four outfit of the day?  A month ago?  Come, on.  Well, late is better than never, I suppose.

To remind you all, I am taking on my Paris trip bit by bit, starting with outfit posts, then moving to all around general stuff, and finishing with tips for traveling with toddlers.  Knowing my rate of success, I will get around to the "tips for traveling with toddlers" post on our anniversary of actually traveling to Paris.  LOL.

Okay, to re-cap...here is outfit Day One...outfit Day Two...outfit Day Three...outfit Day Four.

And outfit Day Five.

I actually drew inspiration for this outfit from two J. Crew catalog images, which I will show later on, but the top/vest combo is from one image, and later, my earrings and pose are from another image.

Top: J. Crew Suzannah Liberty Print Blouse, Size medium.  This was a sample from 2007, although it is similar to the blouse that they sold in the fall of that same year, this one has slight differences in construction from the retail version.  I am glad I went with the medium as this was cut a bit closer, and as timing had it, I needed the extra room in the waist.  :)  Go, baby belly!
Vest: J. Crew Jackie top, size small.  Do you all buy the Jackie tops only to use as vests?  I never wear mine on their own, I far prefer them with button-downs.
Skirt: Gap Maternity, size 8.  This is way too big and by the end of the day, it looked like I was wearing a skirt four sizes too big for me.  (This puppy stretches.  To say the least.)
Tights: Walmart George Brand.  I wear my George Brand control top tights constantly and they have not ever let me down, I have had the above pair for over three years.  Get thee to a Walmart for some $5.50 tights if you need some good ones.  Whilst in Mississippi, I bought the local store out of their Size Cs...I bought them in brown marl, black knit herringbone, grey marl, and a couple of opaque pairs.
Shoes: J. Crew Collection Lula Snakeskin Ballet Flats.  The love.  These aren't awesome for walking but they are certainly good enough if you don't go all crazy and wear them for a six mile trek.  I only did about four that day, so my tootsies survived.

CW is in a mix of Boden, Target, and some boutique-y brand.

From the front before the skirt became a size 16.

I wore my Thierry Lasry sunglasses that day along with my J. Crew Collection double faced cashmere popover.   For those of you dying for more info on the popover, I did a more in-depth review of it at True Crew Love.

The background is the Eiffel Tower.  We have more shots from that day, but I will publish those in the general "look at how awesome Paris can be" photos post.

I remembered that the beautiful Vanessa Lorenzo was wearing a pair of Eiffel Tower earrings in one of the Paris catalog images, so of course I bought a pair from the Eiffel Tower gift shop.  They were only $10 and adorable.  They seem to be decently made, too.

Both of my kids LOVED the Eiffel Tower and now, whenever they see a photo or film of it, shout really loudly, "look MOMMA...the Eiffel Tower!!!"

Not exactly the same shot, etc., but look!  The Eiffel Tower earrings!  (Too bad I didn't have roller skates and a more agreeable husband, lol.)

Again, not exactly the same...I searched and searched for this sweater dress all over ebay but never found it (but still interested, lovely ladies, size small or medium, please!!!)...so I came up with my version instead.

That night my hubby and son went to a French soccer game, so I took CW out to a nice little restaurant for a night out.  We got all dressed up and it was sort of special...really sweet, in fact.

Top: J. Crew Tissue Turtleneck, Size Medium.  From a while ago and I still wear it, all the time.  Great versatile basic.
Skirt: J. Crew Collection Floral Long Swing Skirt, Size 8.  It's my header skirt!  :)  Cannot even think about wearing this one now...waist is way too tiny to fit over my baby belly now.  It barely did up that night for that matter.
Shoes: Clarks Artisan aka "most comfortable black heels ever," size 9.5.  Bought them for nada at the local Rugged Wearhouse.
Necklace: J. Crew Double Strand Frog Necklace.  Also a perennial favorite from the Paris Catalog.  I double looped it for a different look...I quite like it like that...

With CW...she is a cardigan by some French brand (I forgot which, and she is napping right now), a Tea dress, random tights, and a pair of Target shoes.

Paris: Outfit of the Day Five. Girls Night Out. by dinagideon featuring tote handbags

Above is the polyvore of the outfit for our Parisian Girls Night Out.

Well I guess that's it for now.  Hope your Friday is great.  :)

Reminder, if you are a Boden fan, the affiliate folks sent me a direct link to their most recent promo, 30% off and free shipping:
Save 30% at Bodenusa.com with Free Shipping

Paris: Day Four Outfit of the Day,

It seems beyond appropriate that I do this post today, as Rex's behavior today has only really been matched by the behavior her recently exhibited in the beautiful small French city of Chartres. Ugh. :)

He is getting more "mature" every day, but for all his advancements socially, his fits have also matured to their own fine and ripe age. They will soon be so ripe they will be spoiled. Oh, dear. He will be five in February. Someone out there tell me it gets better when they turn five. Please. LOL.

So yeah, I am not one to focus on negativity (well at least not here on my happy place, aka my respite from my crazy, rugrat filled life), so I am choosing to continue my sartorial journey in France for the rest of the post. Remember, you can also see the other days here, day one, day two, and day three.

Anyone who LOVES the Paris Catalog from Fall 2007 will immediately know what this outfit is referencing.  :)

I also included the image in the polyvore set, so all you polyvore addicts, clip away. 

I had the Bridget shirtdress in plaid from the original season, had bought it in a size 10 to fit my newly postpartum body (post-Rex, yes, five years ago, lol), and when I lost all that weight a couple of years ago, the 10 was getting too big, so I hunted ebay for a replacement in a size 6, and finally one day, I found it.   (And a fellow JCA got my size 10 from the exchange, you know share the love...it really is a great dress.)

I was actually really worried it wouldn't fit, but with Gus hanging out and growing but not really, the dress did up just fine.  Phew.  (Can't wear it today, though.  I have officially lost my waist--woo!)

The boots are the Britten Tall Flat boots, and I am so glad I decided to bring them to France, they were super comfy AND stylish, which I appreciated.

This is just outside the cathedral at Chartres, in the courtyard.  It was pretty sunny that day, so the sunglasses were more than just "fashionable."

I added the Icon trench to keep the wind from whipping me too much.  It was warm-ish that day, but it was good to have the topper that evening, when the temps dipped quickly.

Just like the previous photo, many of you have already seen this image, but now you know more about the outfit under the trench.  Plus the cobblestone plus French folks plus CW equals really cool photo.

Paris: Day Four Outfit of the Day. by dinagideon featuring a tee shirt dress

Above is the polyvore. Eventually I will get around to publishing my packing list (which I did about two months ago), but I will wait until all the ootd posts are done (two more to go!).

Boden ladies...remember I did a post on the Boden Spring Preview in this post yesterday. I bit the bullet today, so I feel poorer, but at least I have a few weeks to save up for the January bill. :)

Also, if you have a Boden review and would like it to be included in tomorrow's Boden Weekly Review Roundup, you can e-mail me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or comment in the post (although if you recently commented, I have seen it, and will include your review--thanks!).

Alright, have a great night!!!

P.S.  Can I just say how sweet and caring all of you are?  I love (and read) ALL of the comments left here, and omg, I have the nicest, most darling blog friends.  I want to let everyone know that although I have been unable to spend a ton on other friends blogs, or comment back to everyone's comments here, I at least want to express my gratitude!  So many of your comments (especially on the "Gus is here" post) have really made me smile big, and often laugh out loud, literally!

Paris: Day Three Outfit of the Day.

I cannot believe I have waited this long to do a new post.  I don't even have a good excuse, like actually being in Paris.  LOL.  Ah, well.

Better late than never, I suppose.  :)

On the third day in Paris, my true love said to me...

wear the green jacket and teal top and jeans, and Thierry Lasry sunglasses, and double strand frog necklace,

you get the drift...

Why start with the boring shot when I can start with arty?

Anyhow, this was taken at sunset in the Jardin des Tuileries, which is right next door to the Lourve, which is where we spent the majority of our day (outside of a very long walk looking for a very specific shop in the Saint Germain neighborhood).

Yes, I put CW in a shirt that has the Eiffel Tower and says "a la mode a paris."  Mr. Dina said to put her in that the day we go to the Eiffel Tower, but I just scoffed at how cliche that would be.  Snort.

On me, we have the Parisienne Jacket from Boden Fall 2009 (not cliche, lol), a top that I bought at TJ Maxx by Willi Smith, some Docker's Denim (that got really stretched out by the end of the day), the Lula Snakeskin Ballet Flats from J. Crew (yeah, these only are comfortable the first five miles of walking, btw), and of course the double strand frog necklace from J. Crew Fall 2007 (which also appeared in the Paris catalog).

You can buy CW's a la mode top here (and the 14 fits me, for what it's worth).  I was able to find a fairly similar jacket at Boden called the Milan Jacket, which comes in a very similar green shade (and is on "secret" sale).

No jacket.  I really like the Willi Smith top, all pretty silk and a lovely teal color.  I wore teal with green for a reason, and you will see that when you get to the Polyvore set.

At the Lourve with the kids.  We were all beaten down.  The kids LOVED the museum, though.  My favorite part were the sixty million Japanese tourists who wanted to take photos with Rex and/or CW.  It was adorable.  I guess my kids are cute to others, as they are to me, but honestly, at the end of that day I was all, "are they really that adorable?"

Paris: Day Three Outfit of the Day. by dinagideon featuring j crew jeans

Above is the polyvore set.  In it you will see the catalog image from Boden that inspired the whole look.  I would have never paired teal and green together, but it worked here.  :)

You all have a great Sunday.  :)  Talk with all of you soon!

Tales of My Outlet Bellas...

So I have definitely expounded often and loudly about how much I love and adore my J. Crew Factory Bellas.  With an 80% wool/20% Polyamide combo, the two bellas I own from the J. Crew Factory are much softer than my "real" wool Bella (I wore it here last).

I own one in a deep pink/purple and another in a coral.  You have seen the coral before, when I wore it with a crewcuts top and a pair of paisley pants (which were also from the outlet).

Today I am going to show off the other outfits I have created with these Bellas.  They are not in any particular order and were all worn in 2011, but I can't promise you that they are all that "recent."  LOL.  I take my time and while many of my outfits/reviews are published right away, there are quite a few that just kind of stare out at me from Picasa saying, "why, dinagideon, why is it taking you so long to publish me???"  Heehee, yes, I just admitted to having conversations with my pictures.  ;)

This is the deep pink/purple bella worn with the silk ruffle confetto dress that I wrote about in this post.  I find the dress difficult to wear, I feel like it is A LOT of pattern and a bit crazy, so I need to tone it down in order to wear it.  I found the perfect solution with this jacket!

I wore this to an Arbonne party I was hosting a few months back.  I find it fun to be able to dress up, be a bit professional, but because it is all part of a "party" atmosphere, I can rock wild colors and patterns.  This party was successful, so I will take that as a good sign to wear this dress again at another business venture of mine.

The nude heels by Cole Haan?  Yeah, needed to really tone down this part of the outfit, I can only imagine how close to clown-like I would look like if I had on brightly hued shoes, too.  ;)

The Bella collar is the reason so many of us are Bella-obsessed.  The nipped in waist and the classic buttons help, but that collar screams special.

Obviously I had to wear Arbonne makeup that day (as I do most days, but on party days I really show off), and I like the colors/shades I wore that day.

So smiley.  :)  This Bella does really bring the tone of the entire outfit down a bit, I think I may never wear that dress on its own ever again.

Here is the outfit, I took this photo a few days before I wore it just to make sure it worked together.  Although this is not technically a "Mommy Style Monday" (they will come back, promise), I think that is a great tip for all Mommies out there...take a quick photo of an outfit on the hanger before you wear it...if it looks off you may still want to give it a chance on a body, but I could immediately tell this outfit would work on me.  So I had no hesitation when throwing this outfit on the morning of the party.  (Was a great time-saver, too, it takes me a while to set up for a party!)

Here is the "real" Bella on Vanessa the model from the Paris Catalog...it is definitely a different shade/saturation and there is no herringbone in my version (although there is in my coral one), but I feel like I can still use this image when planning a future outfit with my pink/purple Bella.  (I see a really lovely fall SAHM outfit!)

CW wields her magic wand wishing for a crewcuts Bella.

This is the coral Factory Bella, and this time I wore it as a SAHM outfit.  I literally only left my house that day to go to dinner with Mr. Dina and the kids. 

This time I paired it with a navy tee (Boo Coo tours one with the gator) and the ever wonderful chambray cocktail capris and my ever present Japanese sandals (tend to be worn only in the house, honestly).

CW has now grown big enough to be receiving hand-me-down crewcuts from her brother.  :)  Rex has had this polo (with its cute crab critter in the hem) for years (2007, I believe) and now that CW is big enough, it is hers.

No Bella as the end of the day necessitated me taking it off (it got a bit warm).  This Boo Coo tee is a lot of fun and I find I turn to it a lot (the mid-navy color works well with so many of my items in my wardrobe).

Of course I had to do a shot of this collar, too.  You can see the herringbone in this shot.

I went to NYC a few weeks ago to see a show, go to dinner, and meet up with the lovely Marietta, and all without the kids (freedom!), so I knew I wanted a good "stroll around New York" outfit.  I felt good that day...it was warm, blue skies, people were friendly, in short, just perfect.

I paired the Bella with the vintage striped bateau tee in camel (love this shade), a pair of it! jeans, Cole Haan penny loafers, and a Chico's necklace.

One of the places I chose to "model" for a picture.  This open space down near Wall Street is an oasis...amongst the cramped, tall EVERYTHING, it is nice to find a space where you can feel open and free.  (Being a native of the DC area, land of OPEN everywhere makes NYC seem so claustrophobia inducing!  We even have height restrictions in DC, so those big, sun-blocking buildings so ubiquitous in NYC are never going to be an option for us inside the beltway types.)

Here I am with Marietta after we had a yummy lunch together.  I love being able to see the beautiful bride to be whenever I am in NYC.  :)  Don't you all love her outfit?  The cardigan is clearly my favorite, Anthro really gets how to make a cardigan!

BTW, don't you just love how Daniel Radcliffe is smiling over us?  It is almost like he is blessing our friendship with his smile.  

This is a photo I processed through Picnik, which is a Picasa program you can find in Picasa (if you all edit with it).

I obviously am on the subway here.  Here is another way DC is WAY different than NYC.  Even our Metro is all wide open.  LOL.  (Sneaky secret, though...I prefer the NYC subway, even though I took the Metro everyday to school back when.  NYC subways are always on time, there are plenty of them, and there are tons and tons and tons of stations.  I still prefer walking to the subways, but DC vs. NYC subway?  No contest.  Why do I hate the DC metro so much?  Let's just say I blame it ALL ON THE RED LINE. You DC people will totally get that.)

You all have a great Monday.

P.S. I am going to be especially busy this week...I may not get to comments until late this week, if at all.  I am still here, and I promise, you will hear from me again, and all questions asked will be answered.  ;)